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Plants / Stem Plants
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Stem Plants

Green myriophyllum

Myriophyllum pinnatum (usually sold as M. hippuroides)

Feathery milfoil with finely divided green leaves packed closely on a green to red stem. Its leaves grow in whorls and also alternately, which is unusual for a milfoil. Long sold as Myriophyllum hippuroides, but the aquarium plant is M. pinnatum.

Check your local laws. EU: M. pinnatum and M. hippuroides are not on the Union list in Implementing Regulations 2016/1141 or 2017/1263. Two lookalike milfoils are listed and banned from keeping, sale and release across the EU: Myriophyllum aquaticum (parrot's feather, since 2016) and M. heterophyllum (since 2017). Flowgrow notes M. pinnatum is easily confused with M. heterophyllum. US: Florida lists M. spicatum (Eurasian watermilfoil) as a Class I Prohibited Aquatic Plant. M. pinnatum and M. hippuroides are native to North America. Note: Milfoils are often mislabelled in the trade, so a plant sold as "green myrio" could be a listed species. Never throw it into ponds, rivers or drains.

Needs

Care levelModerate
LightMedium
CO₂Unknown
GrowthFast
HeightUnknown
Temperature20–25 °C
WhereBack of the tank
Feeds throughLeaves, from the water
FamilyHaloragaceae
Native toM. pinnatum: eastern and central North America (eastern and central USA from New England and the Great Lakes to Florida, Texas and the Dakotas; south-central Canada), plus north-eastern and south-western Mexico and Cuba; introduced in Jamaica. (True M. hippuroides: western North America, British Columbia to California and Mexico.)
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. See sources

How to keep it

  • Medium to high light
  • Warm tanks above about 27 °C

Sources

14 facts checked with sources